The invention relates to a sorting star for container handling machinery with a star plate that can be driven in rotation, said star plate having turn-bolt mechanisms arranged on its outer periphery, each of which has a housing that is fastened to the star plate, said housing being provided with a bearing bore directed to the periphery of the star plate, a shaft that can rotate 90.degree. in the bearing bore between two end limits, a turn-bolt that is rigidly fixed to the outer shaft end that projects from the housing and the outer periphery of the star plate, and a switching arrangement that contacts the shaft and can be forcibly actuated by means of an actuation device to accomplish selective retaining or release of containers from pockets in the star plate.
Such turn-bolt mechanisms are known in practice, and are arranged between the recesses or pockets formed to receive containers and can be placed into a non-operational and operational setting by means of swiveling the shaft, and thereby the turn-bolt, from one end position to the other. In the first setting the turn-bolt extends essentially perpendicular to the plane of the star plate, while in the second setting it is essentially parallel to the plane of the star plate, closing off an associated pocket in such a way that the container located inside it is maintained there and thus transported with the rotating sorting star. If the turn-bolt is in the non-operational setting, then the associated container can exit the pocket, for example with the aid of a conveyor belt running tangential to the sorting star.
The switching arrangement for the turn-bolt mechanism that is known from practice is in the form of a one piece switching lever which is fastened on the inner shaft end, with two switching arms that are perpendicularly arranged. The turn-bolt mechanism is fastened to the star plate in such a way that in one end setting a switching arm projects downward and in the other end setting the other respective switching arm projects upward from the housing essentially perpendicular to the plane of the star plate. The actuation device for actuating the switching lever includes two cams, one above and below the star plate, which engage with the switching arms that project from the housing and which are become actuated by the path of movement that passes with the rotation of the sorting star. In this way, during the rotation of the sorting star, the switching arm that projects, for example, upward from the housing in one end setting and contacting the upper cam, is swiveled, thereby swiveling the turn-bolt and the other respective switching arm into the oppositely directed end setting, in which the switching arm that previously projected upward is essentially arranged parallel to the plane of the star plate, and the other switching arm, previously arranged essentially parallel to the plane of the star plate, projects downward from the housing in order to be acted on by the lower cam during the switch-over of the turn-bolt, and swiveled back again into its previous setting.
In accordance with the arrangement of both switching arms, the one cam underneath the sorting star and the other above it is held in a fixed position by means of a mounting support. At least one of the two cams is intended to be selectively actuated by means of a control installation, while the second can be rigidly maintained in the same position. The mounting support for the lower cam is rigidly connected to the housing of the drive shaft for the sorting star. The upper cam, on the other hand, is fastened to a special control plate which is rotatably supported by means of ball bearings on a driver hub fastened to the free end of the drive shaft for the uptake of the star plate. The control plate is secured against rotation by a stop arm connected to the machine bed. During a change-over from one container size to another, in order to exchange the sorting star the connection between the stop arm fastened to the bed and the control plate must first be loosened. After that, a handwheel with a screw spindle must be loosened in order to be able to take the sorting star along with the relatively heavy control plate away from the driver hub. Overall, the turn-bolt mechanism known from practice is comparatively elaborate in construction and therefore high in cost, and it can be handled only with difficulty.